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Mike knew that he wouldn't make it out this time.
Since the pipe burst and flooded the bathroom, it was only a matter of time until the military caught onto to what they were doing. He knew since the plan was created that going into this it was a risk. Everything was bigger now than they could ever imagine, Vecna was going to kidnap twelve kids for God knew what, the US military was guarding the Mac Z and getting in their way, El was somewhere in the Upside Down, and now so was Nancy and Dustin. They'd lost a lot of their team and now they were trying to break into a military base.
Not only that, but Will was with them. According to Joyce he'd come up with the original plan to kidnap Derek to protect him from this thing. And as much as he wanted to be proud, hell he was proud. He knew how much he hated to be coddled and he'd been kept out of the action thus far. But there was a certain level of hesitancy that Mike couldn't help but feel.
Will was capable of surviving anything. Mike knew this as a fact from hearing the stories from the Upside Down from Nancy and Robin. But his hesitance didn't have anything to do with how capable he was. It was the Hivemind still trapped within him. El had mentioned something to him before she left, how she was worried that if they finally sealed the Upside Down away if Will would…
He shook his head away from that thought. Forcibly blinking the image of watching his 'body' be taken from the the Quarry.
It didn't matter now, the plan failed. And the military didn't seem to keen to let them out this time.
Even still, he couldn't let this be in vein. There was too much at stake this time to just give up, Holly was in Vecna's twisted mind at his mercy. Even if he couldn't see his sisters again, he'd make sure nobody else met the same fate that Holly did.
That Will did.
Will.
He spared a glance at Will as they were escorted out of the base and into the Mac-Z, the military mumbo jumbo fading into static as they met each other's eyes. All of the fear momentarily left his body, grateful that he was there all things considered.
Of all things considered he looked beautiful, his clothes still wet from the flood clung to his figure and his hair clung to his forehead in curls. Heat suddenly flooded his cheeks and he was forced to tear his eyes away, luckily that was easier than he expected as the soldiers put more pressure on his no doubt broken arm. He winced under the soldier's grip, the white hot pain jolted through his arm blinding him momentarily until he barely bit down a groan.
Will's voice drifted into his ears, sharp and full of worry, and it grounded him.
The next couple moments went by in a blur, one that he didn't full remember. He only remembered glimpses and flashes of the confrontation. Mrs. Byers trying to appeal to the soldiers, Derek pissing off the soldiers, and the soldier's frustrating ignorance.
Mouth breathers. Mike spat internally, aghast at how anyone could claim to have everything under control when they were covering up the 'hot zones' with metal plates and hoped it would be enough. They had no idea what they were doing and if they kept this up, people were gonna get killed to whatever Vecna's plan was.
In the middle of the commotion, Will fell to his knees. Mike had only caught it out of the corner of his eye.
"Will!" He exclaimed, but was pulled back by his good arm. He struggled against the soldier's grip, repeating his name until it stopped sounding like a word. "Get the hell off me!" He practically snarled to the man holding him, ready to punch if necessary. But the man was more concerned with other matters entirely.
Mrs. Byers got to him first, shaking his shoulders and trying to get him to talk to her. Mike caught a glimpse of what happened next; Will looking pale like he'd seen a ghost, turning to his mother slowly, whispering something to her that Mike couldn't hear.
Then all Hell broke lose.
The lights began going haywire, every light flickering on and off in panicked gasps. Mike felt himself hold his breath as the soldiers and kids watched in unknowing horror of the things coming for them. Some of the soldiers began cocking their guns, but Mike knew that would do nothing against what's coming.
Mike listened to the hectic buzzing of the lights as they fought to keep their lights on. The heavy buzz being drowned out by the pounding of his own heart as it fought to be free from his chest.
BANG!
Something began pounding on the metal plates over the hot zones. Mike sucked in a breath as another one pounded against it again. The soldiers stood on guard, waiting for the thing on the other side to emerge.
BANG!
This one came from behind, Mike's head whipped so hard he saw spots on the edge of his vision. Half the soldiers flipped as the pounding continued from the other side.
'It's toying with us.' Mike's mind whispered between shallow breaths.
The man in charge shouted something to his men which made Derek say something in fear, Mike couldn't hear either as his heart raced in anticipation. He put himself on autopilot as he shouted over the noise to tell the kids to stay behind him. He didn't have a sword nor did he have a shield, but he would make sure these kids got to see the sun again.
His mind slipped back to the night that Will was taken, of the fear he felt as he was hunted through the night and the eternal darkness of the Upside Down. Did the fear paralyze him the same way Mike's did right now? Did his mouth go dry and his heart drown out the sound of a third plate coming loose somewhere behind him?
The inevitable came crashing through with an earsplitting roar. A Demogorgon tore through the membrane between worlds, more springing up from the depths of hell following its lead. Coming from almost every direction to capture the children. Mike released the breath he didn't know he was holding as the guns began going off above their heads.
The soldiers fired at one of to keep everyone safe, but the ones on the front lines were quickly torn through. Blood spilled across the ground as the soldiers fell to ground with a thud. The sound of guns that had been etched into his brain was fired off from every direction, provoking the demos and merely distracting them from their mission.
For a second he was a twelve year old kid again watching as the men got ripped apart around them to the monster's teeth and long claws. Helpless to the whims of people who knew more than he did and forces he will never be able to comprehend.
But he wasn't twelve years old anymore.
The fact grounded him in the moment, he had the power to do something here and now. Even if he didn't make it out this time, all that mattered right now was keeping the kids up there with them out of the crossfire.
He kept himself placed between the battle and the kids, arms around them to keep them behind him. A soldier cut in front of him, trying to handle the other monster. It was clear they needed to move, he started inching away from the open the kids following instinctively because they didn't know who else to follow.
Overhead, a Demogorgon ripped a hole through the flesh between worlds. For a moment the girl they'd saved wasn't behind him anymore, in the middle of the demogorgon's site. Mike grabbed her out of his peripheral, unable to take his eyes off of the creature's open maw. A soldier became the object of the creature's wrath, giving them enough time to slip through.
"Keep your eyes on me! Eyes on me!" He told them, not wanting them to see this.
Mike walked them through the chaos, trying to get them to safety, only able to spare glances at the Byers. But a glance too long was the thing that threw him off.
The sight shattered his heart, Will writhing on the ground as every hit hurt him instead of the demos and Mrs Byers desperately pulling him back from the massacre before he got more hurt. His unholy scream soared over the chaos of the massacre. His mind filled in the pain and horror that contorted his face.
'I'll always protect you Will.' A memory of himself had once said. No, not said. Promised. It was his paladin's oath. He could not be an oath breaker again.
Time becoming fuzzy as the noise faded and his vision tunneled.
He got to their side before he could think twice about it, the kids remaining behind him as well. Everyone was going to be saved tonight.
An explosion somewhere behind them nearly knocked him off his feet. But he refused to let go of Will. He wrapped his arm around his shoulder but Mrs Byers lost her grip as Will's movements became more jerky. Mike sucked in a breath, another unwanted memory assaulting his mind at the image of Will jerking around with eyes rolled in the back of his head.
It was almost like there was a ticking in the back of his head, his eyes being drawn to the massive portal made out of the remains of the library. A small silhouette appeared behind the membrane. As it slowly begun to tear itself apart, Mike knew exactly who it was.
Vecna.
Mike could not remember the next couple moments of the battle. Only able to recall the guns and the blood and the smell of rotting flesh wafting into the air and the cold fear of seeing that and knowing he couldn't do anything about it before everything went black.
For a moment he finally thought he was dead.
He'd thought there'd be fire and brimstone or a God that had judged him for not being able to love the way he was supposed to or for not being able to save the one he loved yet again. But as the world returned to his senses, he knew he wasn't that lucky.
The sound of flesh tearing was the bucket of water he needed to scramble to his feet, only to be greeted by the open and hungry maw of a Demogorgon. Will, Mrs Byers, and the kids nowhere to be seen.
A part of himself thought it was poetic that it would end this way, the thing that El sacrificed herself for now all those years ago here to finish the job. He wished she could be here now, at least then he'd have a chance to apologize for everything.
It began to charge. Mike seeing nothing else to do but brace himself and shielding his face, his eyes pressed shut.
But nothing happened.
Mike opened his eyes, his arms lowering despite the fact he did not feel safe. Confusion and horror flooded his system as the previously charging Demogorgon now was hovering in the air, mid strike. It twitched with barely controlled aggression, fighting against the hold whatever this spell had over it.
His mind offered up several people behind this. Vecna, El, some other lab kid or something. All options seemed to not make sense. Nothing did anymore. Vecna wanted his entire family dead, El wasn't here, and the lab kids seemed very unlikely. His eyes shifted past its frozen form, his horror melting into something more terrifying.
Where he expected to see Vecna or even El somehow, he saw Will.
Will with his arm outstretched like he was summoning a spell, his eyes become white, brows furrowed in concentration. As if he'd seen something, his second arm shot out with the same concentrated strength, throwing his head back in a similar way.
Mike's breath caught as he watched Will telepathically lifted the monsters that had tormented them in the air, its body going stiff in a similar way they described Max did under Vecna's spell.
In a swift, unceremonious motion, the Demogorgon's bones snapped over and over again until it was truly dead and fell to the ground.
When Mike looked up, Will had fallen to his knees. Clearly exhausted by the power he used. Mike couldn't believe it, he felt breathless as he realized in picture perfect clarity a lot of things he'd been too scared to name before.
Every harsh word made in projection, every awkward hug in fear of lingering too long and making things worse, every attempt to be normal like everyone else, every shared look, and every bump of the knee that sent electrity sparking down his spine and sent goosebumps along his skin. It was so obvious Mike didn't know how he didn't see it before.
Will looked up and the world slowed to a crawl. He saw every fraction of a second as Will's eyes returned to their green hazel, of the way he wiped away the blood that had begun to flow from his nose, the way his chest rose and fell in heavy bursts. He seemed to glow in the fire's flickering light.
Mrs Byers ran to his side but it didn't break the trance he'd put Mike under. He was almost addicted to the way his face had softened after reuniting with his mother, the way he finally felt like he was safe.
"How did that happen?" She asked, that somehow propelled his feet forward.
"I-I don't know," Will responded quickly.
"He's a sorcerer." Mike said as he ran forward, "A real life, honest to God sorcerer." The last word was almost muffled by the impact of the hug he pulled him into.
Will wrapped an arm around his shoulder, whispering his name like it was something fragile and valuable. He wanted to stay there, to melt into the warmth and pretend the rest of the world didn't exist for one moment. But he could feel the weight of the rest of the world seeping into this moment. This was only a small victory, a victory but a small one nonetheless.
"You did it, you actually did it." Will's face melted into a soft smile at his words.
It felt intimate in a way they haven't been since they were kids, but it was a reminder that they were alive to see another sunrise. They lost the kids they were attempting to protect, Vecna was seemingly one step ahead of them, and they were no closer to figuring what exactly he was planning.
But they didn't have nothing, they had Will. Their sorcerer. Together alongside El, they actually had a chance to win this. Mike didn't have any doubt in him, he never did.
Something solidified in Mike that night, something he couldn't ignore anymore. All his fear, hesitancy, and avoidance finally clarifying itself. Even as they gathered Lucas and the others and wandered through the tunnels until they got back to the Squawk he became more and more sure as each moment past. Even as the extent of their failure became clear and Vecna's plan slowly began to reveal itself he didn't feel afraid of it anymore.
That night he discovered he knew two things for sure: He was in love with Will Byers and the world was probably going to to end.
There was so many cans of worms that had been opened just in that night that he couldn't wrap his mind around it. He'd have to talk to El before he did anything with what he felt for Will, they'd practically been broken up anyway but neither had talked about it to officially end it. Whatever was happening to Holly was no doubt going to befall the kids they'd failed to save. And Vecna was one step closer to finishing his plan, whatever the hell that was.
But somehow this felt manageable. Not fine, but manageable.
Because he was alive, Will was a sorcerer, they had a fighting chance at defeating this thing, and he was in love with Will Byers.